dougmc

No, it works great.

I regularly take my light off the mount -- I just pull it straight up and it comes right out -- no need to take anything apart. And it's held in strongly enough that it's never fallen off. (Though I stick to roads -- if you go mountain biking it might not be adequate.)

I imagine that every time I pull the light out I weaken the mount a tiny bit, but it's going take hundreds of times before I need to replace the $1.50 mount -- it's already been over a hundred time and while it's a little looser than it originally was, it's still plenty secure.

noisebeam

I have an L2DQ5.

Some brands of rechargeable batteries rattle in it. Others do not at all.

There are slight variations in battery size across brands.

Some brands are even slightly larger than the non-rechargeable standard and I've needed to peel away some of the plastic covering near the ends so they fit in other devices. Those are the ones that don't rattle even with a bit of plastic peeled away. The ones that easily pop right into other battery holders are the ones that tend to rattle in the L2D.

asphalt junkie

Fast, cheap and powerful.

I recently bought a flashlight at Lowe's for $25 that shines an impressive 150 lumens. I notched a piece of v-shaped wood molding lying around the garage, tastefully covered it in black electrical tape and strapped it to the handlebar (may post photo later ...). A length of Velcro tape holds the flashlight in place. With a set of throw-away batteries, my investment was about $30. This compliments a so-so LED blinkie light in front.

The reason I did it this way is that I wanted the light now. Didn't want to fuss with online places that can take weeks. The thing may end up devouring batteries but I plan to buy NiMH rechargeable batteries and charger soon. Drawbacks: It doesn't flash or have a low mode. It's slightly clunky/heavy.

Here are the specs. It's a "Task Force" 3 Watt Cree LED, available at Lowe's. It was recommended at this comprehensive site on bike lighting: https://nordicgroup.us/s78/flashlights.html. Runs on 2 C batteries. If you go this route, make sure to check the website because there's apparently a similar light that's less powerful and easily confused for this one.

asphalt junkie

Having read some more of the threads about lights ... I can see 150 lumens isn't all that powerful or impressive. But it puts a good spot on the road, and it was cheap and fast. Will report on performance down the road.

morry32

I ordered some lights from Deal Extreme on Oct 15th- still not here

Cyclist0383

Be prepared to wait a lot longer. The US based high zoot light shops ship a lot faster and have much better quality control for just a few dollars more.

wheeldeal

My order of the P7 flashlight, charger, batteries and mount came in 2.5 weeks after placing the order.

morry32

Got my "order" 2 lights, 2 mounts, 2 batteries but no recharger.............I am conflicted in what to do?

Not the Slowest

EMAIL THEM, Sometimes they can come in seperate shipments

Cyclist0383

They split orders when something is out of stock. What's the item number of the charger?

morry32

Oh sorry I didn't mean to confuse- They shipped a slip that said it was out of stock and it would be on it's way separately. My problem is wondering what I do in the mean time, since I can't very well use the flash lights more than once or twice before the batteries die, so do I go buy a recharger or just wait until it arrives?

sewil

My commute takes me along a very dark path along a very dark lake. Before Monday, I was certain that there were lights long that path. Wrong.

So... I bought this: MEC Shark One Watt LED Light for $12.50. Meh.

Then...i bought this: NOMA High Output Cree 3W Flashlight for $29.95 at Candian tire. Strapped it to my helmet.

Holy Hanna! That's a lot of light! 140 lumens. it was a bit like that scene in Pee Wee's Big Adventure. Don't buy this light if you don't want to see the shiny/creepy/relective eyes of all the critters silently watching you spin along...

Cyclist0383

That's the risk you take when you buy from DX. The charger could ship tomorrow, it could ship in eight weeks. FWIW, Light Hound in the States has the UltraFire charger for $18.

https://www.lighthound.com/Ultrafire-...er_p_2279.html

daredevil

Just received a Terralux LightStar 220 from Battery Junction. Most cost efficient AA light I'm aware of.

morry32

Despite my lengthy wait and the fact that I haven't received my charger yet I am happy with my purchase.

https://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.5790 X1
https://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.8274 X2
https://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.16240 X2
https://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.4151 X1

grand total of $52.07

Tonight was the first night riding with these and wow does it blow away the former "bike light" I have been riding with and there was a clear night and bright moon. I wish the battery life was better but since I don't have a recharger I just turned it off when I was in well lit areas on my 10 mile commute home and hope to make the batteries last....

got one for me and one for my girlfriend, she doesn't get to use it until the recharger comes

Cyclist0383

Be careful with that charger and keep an eye on it while it's charging. Check out the posts about it on the bottom of the DX page.

giordun

I'm doing a fair bit of night riding now and I really need to get some lights because I almost killed myself or dog or an annoyed lady the other night because I didn't see them until I was nearly hitting them. Good thing there was this patch of grass on the side and I swerved to the grass otherwise I probably would've killed a cute little puppy.

What's a good cheap light? I don't want to wear it on my head since that just looks goofy and I plan on using the Livestrong band method to keep it on (that way I can take it off easily so it doesn't get stolen)

daredevil

See post #265. It runs on good old AA's is the nice part.

born2bahick

So does this setup give plenty of light for single track riding? I am thinking of going this route.

Biker395 

Just got a Magicshine. Initial impressions:

Cripes. On the brightest setting, that thing is bright! I'd say it has plenty of light for riding on dark streets, even on the lowest setting. Those P7 LEDs are astounding.

The flashing setting is kinda lame ... the frequency is so fast, it's seizure inducing. Not sure I'll use that setting. And ditto with the SOS setting. My old Niterider Digital Nite Owl had that SOS setting too. Thought it was useless then, think it is useless now.

The headlight mount seems secure ... we'll see. The battery pack is small ... we'll see what I think of the mount for that.

The instructions are anything but complete. Much improvement could be had there. For example, the green LED in the back of the light appears to glow any time the light is plugged into the battery pack. Is that normal? Unless I missed something, the instructions don't mention that.

morry32

I wanted to wait at least a week before making much of a review but I will admit that I am more impressed than I thought I would be and there is no reason this shouldn't fill your needs even at decent night time speeds.

Biker395 

Sheez ... what does it mean when you respond to your own question?

Yes, the instructions, while meager, do indicate that the green light on the light head should be on whenever the battery is plugged in. So far, that's the only thing I don't like about the set up.

nayr497

I'm after a small-ish light to use during the day to be seen. What are people using? I know a lot of you like lights on your helmet for the daytime.

I'd like something that is:
- rather small
- self contained
- can easily be switched between bikes
- could mount on my fork or headtube (rather not on the bars)

morry32

https://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.8274 X2
https://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.4151

How long should they take to recharge?

Looking on the DX site I see some just say "hours" but I am looking for a more precise number as I am charging mine and have to leave the house but unsure if I should unplug them or not.

Cyclist0383

UNPLUG THEM!

Li ion batteries can explode if overcharged, plus you've got a charger that has many reports of catching on fire all by itself. Check the threads on the bottom of the charger page.